Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

1992 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb037204

MORE than 80 delegates from 20 countries attended the twoday International Symposium on Remote Visual Inspection of Aircraft at the Edwardian International Hotel, Heathrow, London, in December.

1992 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb037205

STOCKSBRIDGE Engineering Steels SES, a division of United Engineering Steels Ltd., is to invest 5 million in vacuum arc remelting VAR equipment that will significantly increase its capacity to produce the most specialised steels for the aerospace industry. The investment will make Stocksbridge the world's largest facility controlled entirely by the latest computerised technology.

1992 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb037206

THE Aerotech Exhibition held in conjunction with the Congress at Birmingham was attended by companies and establishments with a range of products and services. Many of these related to the achievement and maintenance of high standards in components and assemblies and particular interest was attached to the display of expertise shown by the National NDT Centre at Harwell. The operations at the Centre cover research and development and inspection instruments as well as services and consultancies, the first of these often involving the design of special purpose inspection equipment.

1992 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb037207

BRISTOW Helicopters has now recorded over 15,000 operational AS332L Bristow Tiger and Sikorsky S61N flying hours with its combined Cockpit Voice and Flight Data Recorder CVFDR. Developed in conjunction with GECPlessey Avionics as part of an Integrated Health and Usage Monitoring System IHUMS, the system received United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority approval in December 1991, well in advance of regulations requiring its installation in all UK registered public transport helicopters by 31 July 1992.

1992 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb037208

SOME four years ago, production managers at Westland Engineering realised that delicate components and machine fixtures were liable to costly damage through every day contact with the tops and edges of work benches and other surfaces. So they set about finding a matting product that could be laid down to protect these valuable items.

1992 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb037209

WESTLAND Helicopters in Yeovil are using a unique multichannel weighing system supplied by Nobel Systems Ltd. previously Bofors Electronics Ltd. that allows them to weigh helicopter fuel tanks whilst they are at an acute angle. The Primary Fuel Systems test rig is used to calibrate the fuel gauges used in the AngloItalian EH101 helicopter. The fuel gauges are driven via a microprocessor system, whose inputs are multiple level probes in each tank.

1992 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb037210

BRIDGEPORT has launched three largecapacity, vertical machining centres VMCs and two Interact manualtoolchange CNC milling machines in response to market demand from the UK and overseas.

Mayday,

1992 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb037211

THIS accident concerns a Sikorsky S61N helicopter which took off after a 25 minute period of ground running with rotors turning. Around five minutes into the flight, as transmission torque was increased to 80 to initiate a cruise climb from 250300 ft agl, the crew heard a whine. This completely disappeared on lowering the collective to 60 torque, but when torque was again increased to 7580, the whine reappeared and rapidly became worse. The crew identified the noise as coming from the left side of the transmission and selected the main gearbox MGB emergency lubrication on. Around one minute after the crew first heard the whine there was a loud bang, power was lost and the aircraft yawed. After the bang, the No 1 Engine shut down automatically. The crew established the aircraft in autorotation and achieved a gentle landing on sloping ground five nm east of the airfield, using No 2 Engine power to cushion the touchdown. With the exception of holing of the tail rotor drive shaft fairing as a result of contact from a main rotor blade, no damage resulted from the landing. After landing, oil was seen pouring down the left side of the aircraft internally and externally.

1992 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb037212

A new, replacement weather avoidance radome is now available to commercial airlines for all ATR4272 commuter aircraft from Norton Performance Plastics.

1992 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb037213

Korean Air, the flag carrier of the Republic of Korea, has selected the Fokker 100 fanjetto modernise its domestic fleet. Korean Air placed a firm order for nine Fokker 100s with options for three more. Deliveries will start in April 1992 and will continue through 1994.